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Thomas
Thomas is a cheeky blue tank engine who works on the North Western Railway. He was one of the first engines to arrive on the railway, and worked as a station pilot at Vicarstown. However, Thomas longed to see more of the world and venture out of the shunting yard, and tried many times to prove himself. After helping to rescue James after a nasty accident, Thomas was rewarded with two new coaches, Annie and Clarabel, and received his own branch line to run. Thomas now works on the Ffarquhar Branch Line as a passenger engine, and has continued to have many adventures to this day. Biography Arrival Exactly how Thomas arrived on the North Western Railway in 1915 is a mystery, as many people did not know how he had ended up on the railway to begin with; the most popular theory put forward, however, is that he was transferred to the Island of Sodor during a wartime mix-up.Sodor: Reading Between the Lines His Driver and Fireman both got along well with the locals and married Sudrian girls, and by 1920, neither of them wanted to leave the Island or their beloved engine. Upon inquiry, Topham Hatt found out that the LB&SCR had written off Thomas as "lost on war service". Rather than face complications resulting from an alteration of their books, the LB&SCR quietly sold Thomas to the North Western Railway for a "nominal sum".The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways Station Pilot Thomas worked as the station pilot at Vicarstown during his early years, and shunted the coaches and trucks for the bigger engines on the Main Line to take out. He was a cheeky little engine who enjoyed teasing the bigger engines, especially towards Gordon, who he would quietly sneak up on and wake up as he rested in the sidings. One morning, Thomas slept in late, and would not start properly. When at last he shunted the coaches to the station, Thomas was dragged along behind the Express when Gordon left the station before he could be uncoupled, finally paying Thomas out for teasing him before. Thomas was dragged behind the train until Gordon stopped at a station, and after a long drink, he vowed to never tease Gordon again. However, Thomas' brief excursion beyond his own boundaries piqued his curiosity, and he became greatly intrigued in seeing more of the world and becoming a part of it, rather than staying put in the yards as a shunting engine. He began complaining to the bigger engines in the shed, feeling jealous that they were allowed to pull trains. When Henry began feeling ill one morning, Thomas was allowed to take his morning passenger train, much to his delight. However, for reasons left unknown, Thomas left the station before he could be coupled up to his coaches, leaving behind several angry passengers and their luggage. Thomas was unaware that he had left his train behind, and remained this way until he was stopped by a Signalman, who informed him of his missing train. Saddened and embarrassed, Thomas returned to Vicarstown to retrieve his train, this time leaving when the coaches were coupled to him. After his incident with the passenger train, Thomas began grumbling to the engines in the sheds again, still disappointed that he was not allowed to pull trains like they could. Most of the engines took no notice of him, but Edward felt sympathetic and allowed him to take his goods train to Wellsworth while he shunted trucks in the yard. The next day, Thomas gleefully took Edward's goods train, but ignored his warnings about the trucks' behavior. When Thomas reached Gordon's Hill, the trucks pushed him down the hill, causing him to lose control. Thomas slid down the hill and through Wellsworth Station, and came to a stop just in front of a set of buffers on a siding. Heroic Rescue After his time pulling the trucks, Thomas was transferred to Wellsworth to learn more about shunting trucks in the yard. While shunting some trucks at the station one day, Thomas noticed a new engine, James, running out of control with a goods train, unable to stop due to his fiery brake blocks and the trucks pushing him. As soon as he was informed that James had derailed, Thomas immediately worked to rescue him. He picked up the Breakdown Train and rushed to the field where James had derailed, helping to clear up the trucks and put James back on the rails. As James was unable to move under his own power, Thomas took him back home. When he brought James back to the station, Thomas was praised by the Fat Controller. As a reward for his efforts to rescue James, Thomas was given a new branch line and two new coaches, Annie and Clarabel. Thomas began working on the Ffarquhar Branch Line full time, working as both a goods and passenger engine on the line.Thomas the Tank Engine Branch Line Adventures Thomas loved his new branch line dearly, and Returning to the Main Line Shortly after Thomas left to work on his branch line, Gordon, Henry and James began complaining, as without a station pilot, they had to fetch their own trains. They eventually went on strike to protest the way they were being treated, and were shut up in the shed by the Fat Controller. The Fat Controller then allowed Thomas to help Edward out on the Main Line, while a new tank engine, Percy, looked after his branch line. After the big engines realized their mistake and apologized, they were let out of the shed, and Thomas returned to work on the Ffarquhar Branch Line again.Troublesome Engines Trouble with the Law In 1951, Thomas faced trouble with the law when he was spotted running along the Quarry Tramroad between Ffarquhar and Anopha Quarry without a cowcatcher or sideplates by a strict and uptight policeman. Although he had never had any troubles running along the Tramroad before, Thomas was not allowed to travel along the line by the police, and was dismayed at the thought of looking like a tram engine; his remark of looking like a tram gave the Fat Controller the idea of bringing Toby and Henrietta to Sodor to work on the quarry line, as Toby was already a tram engine. Thomas was initially jealous of Toby, but when Toby managed to frighten the policeman that had caused all the trouble for him, he became firm friends with him.Toby the Tram Engine Mrs. Kyndley's Christmas During the winter season, Thomas was saved by Mrs. Kyndley, who warned him about a landslide blocking the line running through the Hackenbeck Tunnel. To thank Mrs. Kyndley for her bravery, Thomas, along with Toby and their coaches, went to her cottage, and their crews and the Fat Controller rewarded her and her husband with a trip to Bournemouth to recover from her illness.Toby the Tram Engine When Mrs. Kyndley returned from her holiday, Thomas planned to have a Christmas party thrown at Tidmouth Sheds to thank her for saving him. However, on the day that the party was to be held, a heavy snowstorm buried the branch line, preventing Mrs. Kyndley and her husband from going to the party. Despite his disdain for his snowplough, Thomas agreed to help clear the line with Toby's assistance, and the two worked tirelessly to ensure that the line was clear for Mrs. Kyndley. When Thomas returned to Tidmouth Sheds, he, Mrs. Kyndley and Toby arrived just in time for the party, and Mrs. Kyndley thanked him and Toby for helping her out.Thomas's Christmas Party Breakfast Accident After a compliment by his Driver went to his smokebox, Thomas became conceited, and bragged to Toby and Percy that he no longer needed his Driver, claiming that he already knew his branch line by heart. The next day, Thomas was being prepared before the other engines, when he started to move without the presence of a crew in his cab. This had been caused by a careless cleaner meddling with his controls, but Thomas believed he actually was moving under his own power. Unfortunately, Thomas found out that he was unable to stop in time, and he came off the rails and crashed into the Ffarquhar Stationmaster's house when he was eating his breakfast with his family. Thomas was safely recovered, but his front bufferbeam had been badly damaged in the accident. He was sent to the Works for a rebuild, and a diesel railcar, Daisy, looked after the passenger trains on his branch line while he was away. During his stay at the Works, Thomas received several changes to his design, the most noticeable being a flat footplate leveled out from smokebox to bunker. When Thomas' rebuild was complete, he returned to the Ffarquhar Branch Line and aided Toby and Daisy after Percy was damaged in his own accident.Branch Line Engines "The Ghost Train" When Percy heard that his Driver had seen a "ghost train", he told the other engines about it, but Thomas dismissed the story as being silly make-believe. Thomas ended up being correct, as the "Ghost Train" had only been a programme on television, much to Percy's disappointment. That evening, Percy was involved in an accident that left him covered in lime. Deciding to use this as his opportunity to get back at Thomas for teasing him, Percy, with Toby's help, pretended to be his own ghost, coming back to haunt Thomas in his after-life. The plan worked, and Percy successfully frightened Thomas, which made him cross when he found out. After being tricked by him, Thomas began quarreling with Percy over which of them was running late, and insulted him by calling him a "green caterpillar with red stripes". Thomas ended up getting the last laugh when Percy was left covered in treacle and hay, and he and Toby teased Percy about it when they returned to the shed.Tramway Engines The Great Railway Show In 1991, Thomas was invited by the National Railway Museum to represent the North Western Railway at a railway show they would be holding. Thomas was excited by the news, and left for England as soon as he could. However, the trip to York was rather shaky, as during his journey, Thomas' front bufferbeam was badly damaged when he ran into a crossing gate that was swinging in front of his track. As he could not go to the Museum by rail, Thomas had to be transported to the Museum on a lorry, but the lorry driver ended up receiving a parking ticket for parking illegally. Once when he arrived at the National Railway Museum, Thomas' bufferbeam was repaired at the Museum's workshops. While he was being repaired, Thomas met and befriended Green Arrow, one of the engines owned by the Museum. However, Thomas was faced with more troubles, as during a demonstration run, he ended up running over a bag that had been carelessly thrown across the track, and the noise of his steam frightened a small child. Thomas' brakes were damaged in the accident, and he was left dismayed when the mother of the frightened child complained to him. When Green Arrow needed help with a railtour, Thomas double-headed the train with him. During the return journey, Thomas noticed that the ground beneath the track had eroded, and warned Green Arrow to stop just in time. A few days later, Thomas was made an honorary member of the National Railway Museum for his heroic actions, and he was given a commemorative plaque.Thomas and the Great Railway Show After his visit to York, Thomas left England and returned to Sodor.Thomas Comes Home Personality and Traits Technical Details Basis Livery Thomas is painted in the North Western Railway's sky blue livery with red lining and yellow window trimming. He carries his number, 1, on the sides of his tanks in yellow with red lining, and his buffers are grey. His footplate was originally grey, but in later appearances he made, it became black. Background Information Creation Footplate Troubles Too Much Thomas? Thomas in Thomas & Friends Thomas is the main protagonist of the children's television show, Thomas & Friends, which was based on the original Railway Series books. In the show, he previously worked as the station pilot at Knapford rather than Vicarstown, and, according to The Adventure Begins, arrived on Sodor after the bigger engines. He usually works on the Ffarquhar Branch Line, but in more recent seasons, he has been seen working on the Main Line. Appearances Trivia * Thomas was the first engine in the Railway Series to have a number. According to Brian Sibley, Awdry chose this number for Thomas as it was the easiest to draw. * The Rev. W. Awdry created a model of Thomas for his Ffarquhar layout. Gallery References }} Category:Characters Category:North Western Railway Category:Ffarquhar Branch Line Category:Steam locomotives Category:Tank engines Category:0-6-0